Shinjū/Plot
Summaries for each chapter of Shinjū. ---- Prologue A man on horseback rides to the Sumida River. In tow are two dead bodies that have been tied together; one is a man, the other is a women. Taking the bodies into a boat with him, he rides until he arrives at a pier. After unwrapping the bodies from some mats, he places a small, flat lacquer case under the woman's sash. He pushes the bodies into the river and takes one of the ropes, lodging it in a crack in the pier. After checking to make sure the two bodies will not float away, he starts to row upstream. Chapter 1 Sano Ichirō rides into Nihonbashi on horseback as he muses about his transformation from simple tutor to Yoriki. He approaches the charred remains of about fifty houses, the aftermath of a large fire. His job is to find out if the fire was the result of arson and- if it was- to arrest the person responsible. He spots a man trying to get an iron chest from the rubble and goes to interrogate him. Just then, a ragged looking man runs and falls in front of Sano. A pair of burly men, who had been chasing the ragged man, start clubbing him. Sano stops them and quickly figures out that the leader is a Dōshin. Sano introduces himself and demands an explanation for their attack. The Dōshin apologizes and the group bow, all the while barely concealing their contempt. Sano bristles at their rudeness, but understands their disgust. He repeats his question. The Dōshin says that the man they had been chasing was the one that set the fire, citing witnesses who saw the man fleeing the street after the fire had been set and the word of the man himself. Unconvinced, Sano interrogates the man, only to find that the man cannot understand what Sano is saying. Sano berates the Dōshin for failing his job. The Dōshin counters back by saying he could not have known. While this argument was taking place, a number of people had stopped to watch. At the Dōshin's retort, some of the bystanders accost the Dōshin. The Dōshin snaps at them to shut up then turns to Sano, saying that someone has to pay for starting a fire. Before Sano can chastise the Dōshin for using a scapegoat, he notices that the Dōshin is reaching for his short sword. Knowing that the only thing keeping the Dōshin from dueling him is his higher status, Sano hastily makes peace by offering to help search for the actual criminal. Later that day, Sano returns to the administrative district in Hibiya. While on the way to police headquarters, a messenger intercepts him, telling him that Magistrate Ogyu is requesting his presence. Sano eventually arrives at Ogyu's mansion. After identifying himself to a pair of guards, he walks through the mansion's grounds. Soon enough, he finds himself standing in front of the entrance to the Court of Justice. Stepping inside, he finds Ogyu conducting a trial. At the far end, Ogyu sits upon the dais with his current defendant, Blacksmith Goro, sitting opposite him on the shirasu. After considering all of the evidence against Goro, the Magistrate considers the defendant guilty of murdering his father-in-law. Ogyu sentences Goro to death, with his family sharing his punishment through banishment. He nods to a nearby Dōshin who takes the struggling Goro out of the courtroom. The awaiting attendants escort the trial's spectators away. Ogyu calls Sano to him. Sano walks to the end of the room and kneels behind the shirasu. Bowing to Ogyu, he politely inquires about why he was summoned. Ogyu does not directly tell Sano the exact reason, but Sano still gets the message: it was disgraceful for a yoriki to do a Dōshin's work. Wanting to defend himself, Sano starts to tell Ogyu about the injustice that could have occurred, only to be interrupted by Ogyu mentioning that he met Katsuragawa Shundai yesterday. At that moment, Sano remembers when his father took him to see Shundai. Sano's father had asked Shundai to see if he could find a job for Sano, calling in an old debt. Shundai had said he would see what he could do. Returning to the present, Sano understands his obligation to his father and to Shundai. He silently vows to never personally investigate any other case that crosses his desk. Anticipating a dismissal, he bows again, but none comes. Instead, Ogyu tells Sano to do exactly as he says, saying the matter is of the utmost discretion. His curiosity piqued by Ogyu's unusual bluntness, he listens as Ogyu tells him about a fisherman who found the bodies of a man and women who had apparently died by drowning. Due to the common occurrence of these love suicides, Sano wonders why Ogyu would bring it up. As if to answer his unspoken question, Ogyu hands over a folded letter that had been sitting on his desk. The letter contains a passage from a popular Kabuki play and the signatures of two people: Noriyoshi and Niu Yukiko. Sano now understands the weight of this case: due to Yukiko's high birth, word getting out that she partook in a shinjū would be a terrible disgrace to her family. Ogyu gives Sano orders to hand Yukiko's body to the Nius while Noriyoshi's body will be left out for the public to see; the usual treatment for corpses resulting from shinjūs. Ogyu then dismisses him. Sano cannot help but feel as though something is amiss. Ogyu's emphasis on discretion only arouses his suspicion. However, he remembers his pledge and bows his farewell to Ogyu. At police headquarters, Sano walks into the compound. He greets Yamaga and Hayashi, two men who represent the stereotype that Yoriki are known for: proud, haughty, and obsessed with fashion trends. Hayashi speaks to Sano in a tone that makes his words an insult, making it all too clear that they do not approve of Sano's background. Carrying their disapproval with him, he walks into his designated office. Instead of working on filing reports,Hamada Tsunehiko- his personal secretary- is reading a storybook. Seeing Sano, Tsunehiko quickly tries to hide the book, saying that he awaits Sano's orders. Sitting behind his desk, he tells Tsunehiko to take a report. Once he confirms that there are no mistakes, he places his seal on it then hands it over to his secretary, telling him to take it to the chief clerk. Not a moment after Tsunehiko opens the office door do Yamaga and Hayashi pass by, talking about how they plan to visit Yoshiwara. As bits of their conversation reach Sano's ears, he has a brief vision of what would happen to him should he meekly obey Ogyu's orders: he would turn into someone who cares more about appearances than actually righting wrongs. Telling Tsunehiko to wait, he takes the report from the boy and rips it up. Walking back to his desk, he hurriedly writes a new report stating that Noriyoshi's and Yukiko's deaths warrant investigation. He hands this new report to Tsunehiko before leaving his office. Chapter 2 At Edo Jail, Sano tells a couple of guards that he wishes to speak to the men who handled the corpses. A guard takes him to see the warden who brings him out to the courtyard to meet three Eta; two are teenagers and one is elderly man named Mura. Sano asks them all about the condition of the corpses, but Mura cannot remember anything and the teenagers simply parrot Mura. Figuring out that further questions will not yield any useful answers, he tells them that they are free to leave. The two teenagers hurriedly run off. Mura stays and tells Sano that he knows of a man who might help him. Sano follows Mura to the morgue. Upon stepping inside, he meets Ito Genboku. Sano asks Ito if he noticed anything about the bodies that would indicate that Yukiko, Noriyoshi, or both had been murdered. Ito replies that he had been too busy with the victims of the fire from earlier that day to notice anything, and that Yukiko's body has already been sent to her family. Sano notes that Ogyu had not trusted him to complete that task after all. Ito then says that they still have Noriyoshi's corpse and asks Sano if he would like to observe the body for himself. After accepting Ito's invitation, Mura retrieves Noriyoshi's body and personal items with the help of some other Eta. Ito hands over Noriyoshi's paraphernalia which includes some clothes and a sandal. The quality of the material indicates that Noriyoshi was rather poor. Once the body is all set for inspection, Sano surveys the corpse and can only find rope marks around Noriyoshi's wrists. Sano thanks Ito and is about to leave, but Ito frowns and tells Mura to turn Noriyoshi so he is laying on his side. Taking a knife and razor, Mura cuts and shaves a part of Noriyoshi's hair off, revealing purple indentations. Sano wonders what made it and Ito speculates a number of reasons before saying that the only way to make sure would be to cut Noriyoshi open. He gives Ito the go ahead to preform an autopsy. Returning Noriyoshi to his previous position, Mura cuts into one of Noriyoshi's lungs, revealing a lack of water. Unable to stand the morgue any longer, Sano rushes out of the jail, stopping at a canal to vomit before riding to the nearest bathhouse. He scrubs himself vigorously then submerges himself in the scorching hot water of the communal tub. After a few minutes, the results of the autopsy hit him: Noriyoshi was indeed murdered. However, no one can know of the dissection. He resolves to figure out some other way of finding evidence that proves they were murdered. Chapter 3 Sano wakes up in his bedchamber within the Yoriki barracks. He gets dressed then walks to the dining room, finding Yamaga, Hayashi, and four other Yoriki already finishing up their breakfasts. The conversation stops when he walks in, only resuming when the senior Yoriki, Hachiya Akira, makes a remark about his tardiness. Sano apologizes and sits next to Hayashi. Akira picks up the previous conversation and the other Yoriki join in. Sano's mind wanders back to the investigation as he ponders about what move he should make next. Eventually, he concludes that the best course of action to take would be to interview anyone who knew Yukiko and Noriyoshi. He excuses himself before leaving. At the Niu mansion, one of the guards tells Sano that Lord Niu is not there, but Lady Niu will see him. He follows the guard to the reception chamber. When he gets there, he meets Lady Niu and her bodyguard, Eii. Behind a screen are two of Lord Niu's daughters; Midori and Keiko. Sano tells Lady Niu that he has some questions regarding Yukiko that he needs to ask, to which she accepts. The first question is did the way Yukiko die come as a surprise. Lady Niu says that it was, but she also admits that it was not unlike Yukiko to do something like that. She remarks that the theater influences many young girls, something he must have read in Ogyu's note. Sano is taken aback by this sudden switch in topic. A maid named O-hisa steps into the room, carrying a tray of refreshments. After spilling green tea all over the tray, Lady Niu orders the maid to get another one. O-hisa bursts into sobs. Lady Niu orders Eii to see to her. Eii picks up the spoiled food, tray, and maid in one swift movement and places maid and all outside the door before quickly returning to Lady Niu's side. Hearing sobbing from behind the screen, Lady Niu tells Midori and Keiko to leave. Once they have left, Lady Niu turns back to Sano and asks him if there is anything else he would like to know, when the door opens once again. A young man enters, saying that a priest would like to speak to Lady Niu. Lady Niu introduces Sano to her son, Niu Masahito. She tells Masahito that maybe he should speak to the priest, but Masahito ignores the hint and stays. Sano asks about Yukiko's character and her popularity. Lady Niu says that while Yukiko was secretive and kept to herself, she was also gentle and loving, and everyone within the estate loved her. Masahito hints that this statement is false. Sano inquires about Yukiko's supposed dissenter, but Masahito only gives him a vague smile. Deciding to switch subjects, Sano subtly questions how Yukiko was able to meet Noriyoshi for rendezvous. Lady Niu says that it is difficult to keep track of everyone due to the shear size of the mansion and the number of people living in it. Compounding matters is the fact that Yukiko had apparently bribed one of the guards to let her out after dark. At Sano's inquiry as to whether or not she had been missed on the night she disappeared, Lady Niu replies that they were all attending a play that was being hosted by one of the neighboring lords and that the show did not end until it was rather late. Masahito laughs at this understatement, adding that the party lasted until dawn and that no one bothered to check if everyone had gotten home safely. Sano starts wondering what he should ask next when Masahito remarks that all of Sano's questions imply that he thinks Yukiko was murdered. Alarmed that his real reason for visiting was found out so quickly, Sano can only hold Masahito's gaze. Masahito reaffirms that Yukiko committed suicide before hinting that Sano should leave. Not seeing any other options, Sano says his farewells and follows a guard back to the entrance. Along the way, the guard stops to chat with another guard. Sano hears someone whistle the tune of a classic song. He looks to see where it is coming from when he spots a young girl dressed in a red kimono. Beckoning him to follow her, she says that she has something important to tell him before quickly disappearing through a doorway. He follows her until they both reach a garden. Guessing right the young girl's name is Midori, Sano listens to her as she says that she knows that Yukiko would never commit suicide, especially not as part of a shinjū. Trying to stay objective, Sano asks her just how she knows this. Midori insists that she knows and can even prove Yukiko was murdered. Just then, Lady Niu calls out to Midori from a nearby veranda, startling them both. Lady Niu orders Midori to her room. She tells the guards to escort Sano out of the mansion. Once outside, Sano regrets not hearing Midori's story in its entirety. Her evidence might have been just what he needed to convince Ogyu that a thorough investigation was necessary. He decides to visit Midori again after he investigates Noriyoshi's background. Chapter 4 In Yukiko's bedchambers, Midori starts searching for Yukiko's dairies while knowing that she's trespassing into forbidden territory. She finds several dairies underneath a pile of kimonos. Snatching the one on top, she hurries to a window and starts to read. After skimming through a few passages about past events, she finds the last entry that Yukiko wrote before her death. The words "destroy", "betray", and "sin" instantly pop out at Midori. By the sound of it, Yukiko was keeping some kind of terrible secret. Before she can continue, Lady Niu catches Midori reading the diary. Lady Niu accosts her for overstepping clearly set boundaries, contemplating what the best punishment should be. She tells Eii to bring Midori to her room and to make sure that she does not leave. As Midori is escorted out of Yukiko's room, she sees Lady Niu rip up the dairy, placing the torn pages into a brazier. Chapter 5 Returning to his office, Sano finds a gloomy Tsunehiko waiting for him. Once Sano gets him to talk about what is bothering him, Tsunehiko complains that he never gets to go anywhere with Sano and that he is supposed to be learning about being a Yoriki, but Sano rarely teaches him anything. Sano promises that the two of them will work together and more closely from now on. With Tsunehiko placated, Sano then turns to more important business: the address where Noriyoshi lived. Tsunehiko offers Sano a piece of paper that states that Noriyoshi lived and worked in Yoshiwara. While not praising his secretary outright, he takes Tsunehiko with him to Yoshiwara as a reward for finding the address. After a trip by ferry, Sano stops to question some guards if they had noticed either Noriyoshi leaving the quarter on the day of his death or if any of them had noticed someone carrying a large box or package on that same day. Unfortunately, the guards are not helpful and since Sano is conducting this investigation by himself, he cannot pull rank on them. He thanks them for their cooperation before heading inside. Surveying the quarter, he compares this version of Yoshiwara to his past trips here. Many new businesses had started up since his last visit. The warm and lush Yoshiwara of spring and summer had lost much of its charm and glamor in the cold and dreary winter. Tsunehiko, excited to be here despite this, wishes that Yoshiwara was closer, prompting Sano to explain the government's reasons for its current location. After Tsunehiko gets sidetracked by a wrestling match being held in a nearby tea house, Sano regrets bringing his secretary along. He mentions the street they are supposed to be going to, regaining Tsunehiko's attention. To his surprise, Tsunehiko tells Sano that he knows a short cut and immediately guides him to Canary Street. Following his secretary, the two eventually arrive at their destination. Tsunehiko gets distracted again, allowing Sano to conduct his interviews in private. Within moments, a hawker tries to sell Sano some of his products. The hawker leads Sano into the shop and shows off some crudely made pictures. As it turns out, the hawker is Okubata, the shop's owner and Noriyoshi's employer. After inquiring about Noriyoshi, Okubata assumes that Sano is here to buy his work which Sano dismisses. While enduring Okubata's veiled insults and wisecracks, Sano learns that Noriyoshi was a man who had few friends and no living relatives. Sano realizes too late that he mishandled the interview, allowing Okubata to withhold information despite Sano knowing that the owner was lying due to Okubata's body language. Deciding that further questions would do more harm than good, Sano- with permission from Okubata- searches Noriyoshi's room. The room holds more evidence that Noriyoshi lived in poverty. Despite this fact, Sano stumbles across a pouch with at least thirty koban inside, more than anyone among Noriyoshi's class could ever hope to earn through honest means. In the blink of an eye, Okubata takes the pouch from Sano, explaining it away as payments that Noriyoshi collected for him. Even though Sano knows that the owner is lying once again, he resists the urge to use force on the man. Instead, he interviews the other store's employees which turns out to be a pointless venture. As Sano returns to the shop's entrance, he notices Okubata urgently talking to an elderly man. Noticing Sano, Okubata cuts off their conversation and tells the man to leave. The elderly man ignores Okubata and introduces himself to Sano as Healing Hands, a blind masseur. Sano asks Healing Hands if he knew Noriyoshi. Thankfully, the masseur shares a piece of information that Okubata was keeping to himself; Noriyoshi had one lady friend by the name of Wisteria. Shortly after telling Sano what the name of the pleasure house she works at is, Okubata interrupts Healing Hands by reminding him that saying the wrong thing in front of a Yoriki could get him in trouble. This scares Healing Hands enough that he begins to depart. Leaving Okubata and his shop behind, Sano catches up to Healing Hands to ask more questions, but Okubata's warning keeps Healing Hands silent. Sano reviews what he has learned and decides to stay in Yoshiwara until nightfall with the intent to meet Wisteria. With a start, he remembers that he is supposed to meet his parents tomorrow. He goes to find Tsunehiko so they can return to the city. Chapter 6 Sano arrives in Nihonbashi during the night. He travels until he finds himself in front of the Sano Martial Arts Academy. Sano reunites with Aoki Koemon- a childhood friend. The two of them spar for a bit. He notices his father is not there and Koemon implies that Sano's father is not well. Concerned and worried, Sano exits the academy building, grabs his horse's reigns, and leads the horse to his parents' house. Upon entering the house, he greets Hana- the family maid- before walking into the main room. Sitting on a futon is his father, who is coughing violently. Sano's mother kneels beside her husband in order to help and comfort him. Alarmed at his father's sharp decline in health, Sano hurries to his father's side. In question as to why he had not received any communication regarding the illness, Sano's mother answers that they did not want to trouble him. His father brushes off Sano's inquiry regarding a doctor, instead telling his wife to bring dinner. After a silent meal, Sano's father initiates a discussion regarding a potential bride for Sano. Not wanting to set off another coughing spell, Sano agrees with his father, who then changes the topic to Sano's work. Sano tells his father about his workplace and responsibilities, changing and leaving out details that would only upset or anger his father. Pride showing in his face and stature, Sano's father reminds Sano to continue being diligent and to never allow himself to become a rōnin- a masterless samurai. This last comment elicits some anger from Sano, who blames his father for fostering the very instincts that have put Sano in his current precarious position. The anger dies when his father references how little time he has left. He recognizes that his father has been pushing himself to live; now that it seems like Sano is heading towards the very future the Sano's father wanted for him, Sano feels it would be a betrayal of filial piety to continue an investigation that would endanger that future. Chapter 7 At Yoriki headquarters, Sano dictates a report for Tsunehiko to write. After approving it, Tsunehiko asks Sano if he was going to wait until tomorrow to do some investigating. Sano tells Tsunehiko that he is not going to continue with it, citing Bushido- the Way of the Warrior. Once Tsunehiko departs, Sano leaves his office and walks to the barracks. Along the way, his mind drifts to Wisteria; how she seems to be important in figuring out what happened to Noriyoshi and Yukiko. Pushing these thoughts from his mind, he begins to take out the makings for his bed. He reminds himself about his father, about Bushido, about his future. However, his growing hunger for knowledge keeps him from going to sleep. Disguising himself with a wide-brimmed hat and cloak, he grabs his coin purse before walking to the stables. As he climbs onto his horse, he realizes that if he had really meant to quit the investigation, he would have made out a report like Ogyu had originally told him to do. He reasons that this will be his last interview. Sano arrives at Yoshiwara and quickly finds the Palace of the Heavenly Garden. In the entryway, a sex worker referred to as Red Kimono flirts with Sano. Sano tries to ask for Wisteria, but he is not successful until he tells her his rank and his reason for visiting. Red Kimono stops her flirtations then gets a maid to bring Sano to Wisteria's room. Sano introduces himself and explains the reason behind his visit. At the mention of Noriyoshi, Wisteria turns away and instructs him to leave. Sensing her grief, Sano hesitates, unwilling to intrude but not wanting to leave empty handed. Wisteria informs Sano that she already knows about the shinjū. Sano tells her that Noriyoshi was murdered, that he is looking for any information regarding his family and personality. Wisteria explains that Noriyoshi's reputation of egocentrism and greed is false; he was willing to help her when she was nothing but a starving maid at the Palace. He brought her food, walked with her when she went on errands, and taught her what men liked to hear and see. Sano thinks that Noriyoshi's prime motive for helping her was so she would feel indebted to him. As if reading his mind, Wisteria explains that Noriyoshi did not expect sex from her mostly because he preferred men. A knock sounds on Wisteria's door. Sano hastily hides while Wisteria makes an excuse to her client. The client and Wisteria embrace before the client leaves. Once they are both back in place, Sano asks about any enemies Noriyoshi might have had. Wisteria names Kikunojo, a famous Kabuki actor, and mentions a sumo wrestler. While he had other enemies, Wisteria does not believe any of them held enough of a grudge to kill him. Throughout this conversation, the sounds of another sex worker and her client can be heard through the walls. Having gathered enough evidence to convince Ogyu, Sano bows then rises to leave. Wisteria implores him to stay. With a start, Sano realizes that Wisteria had been subtly seducing him this whole time. Unable to resist her charms any longer, Sano engages in coitus with her. Some time later, Sano awakes to find Wisteria praying to Noriyoshi at a miniature Buddhist alter. Sano apologizes and tries to comfort her, but that only angers her. She accuses Sano of pretending to care, of disgracing Noriyoshi by sweeping his murder under the rug, using the shinjū as a convenient excuse to not do any actual work. Sano tries to tell her that he does want to bring Noriyoshi's murderer to justice, but Wisteria whispers at him to leave. Donning his disguise once again, Sano goes to Yoshiwara's entrance only to find it locked. Knowing that there are no other options expect to wait until morning, Sano finds an inn to spend the rest of the night. On a straw pallet, Sano feels guilty for basically taking advantage of a grieving woman. He hopes to find a way to repair the emotional damage his and Wisteria's coupling had brought Wisteria. The only way he can think of is to find the truth behind the shinjū. Chapter 8 Sitting in Ogyu's private office, Sano asks Ogyu permission to continue investigating the deaths of Noriyoshi and Yukiko. Ogyu does not immediately reply. Instead, he points to Sano's original report that is laying out on the table between them. Ogyu subtly states his disappointment at Sano's negligence to carry out orders and inquires Sano about the cremation of Noriyoshi's corpse. Sano hurriedly tries to defend himself, apologizing for his insubordination while also stating that he found evidence that the two were murdered. Either out of surprise or irritation, Ogyu asks Sano how he came about this evidence. Sano explains everything he had found out so far about Noriyoshi: that he preferred men- it would be highly doubtful that he would commit shinjū with one- and he also had several enemies, two of which held him in contempt. Reluctantly, Sano names Wisteria, knowing that a name would give credence to his story but Wisteria's profession would not. Sure enough, Ogyu dismisses Wisteria's testimony. Desperate to make Ogyu understand, Sano comes dangerously close to revealing that he partook in foreign science; he saw that Noriyoshi had bruises on his head and that he did not look like one that had drowned. Ogyu's sensibilities keeps him from questioning Sano further. Out of arguments, Sano can only wait for Ogyu's verdict. Ogyu starts talking about the animal kingdom, how prey animals wait until a predator is gone before getting their share or revealing themselves. He specifically mentions dragonflies and how other insects avoid approaching them in order not to incur their anger. Sano understands the reference to the Nius and bluntly states that Ogyu had learned about his visit. Ogyu explains that Lady Niu had personally complained to him. He insults Sano which wounds Sano's samurai spirit. However, he does not let that distract him from wondering why Ogyu seems so concerned about stopping him. Sano tells Ogyu about his visit and questions why they would not want him to bring their daughter's murderer to justice. More to be added... Chapter 9 Coming soon... Chapter 10 Coming soon... Chapter 11 Coming soon... Chapter 12 Coming soon... Chapter 13 Coming soon... Chapter 14 Coming soon... Chapter 15 Coming soon... Chapter 16 Coming soon... Chapter 17 Coming soon... Chapter 18 Coming soon... Chapter 19 Coming soon... Chapter 20 Coming soon... Chapter 21 Coming soon... Chapter 22 Coming soon... Chapter 23 Coming soon... Chapter 24 Coming soon... Chapter 25 Coming soon... Chapter 26 Coming soon... Chapter 27 Coming soon... Chapter 28 Coming soon... Chapter 29 Coming soon... Chapter 30 Coming soon... Category:Sano Ichiro series Category:Chapter summaries